This book completes a trilogy which started in 1973 with Jesus the Jew and continued ten years later with the appearance of Jesus and the World of Judaism, by a leading Jewish expert on the history and literature of Jesus" time whose name is especially associated with work on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Like its predecessors, it is one man"s reading of the Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. It does not offer a survey of scholarly views or a discussion of competing theories but focusses on the New Testament material and what can be understood from it. It is primarily addressed to readers whose expertise lies outside the Bible, the New Testament and theology, namely those interested in ancient religions, history and culture, and especially in Judaism, though of course biblical scholars and theologians will find much that is fascinating in it. Christians ignorant or unconcerned about the historical reality behind their faith may, however, find many of its pages, and above all the...